Slide Leak Self Help 101

Last week when I was ready to pack to go away for the weekend, I was set back when I found a wet spot on the carpeted steps under the closed bedroom slideout. We had one trip on the rig and we had a leak. We went away for the weekend and when we returned home on Sunday it rained later in the day. John went out to the camper and came in soaked. He said come with me you've got to see this. We went back to the camper and he told me to watch the water when it runs down the slide out. It would run down the side and disappear when it hit the caulking above the lower trim cap. We pulled the old caulk off and cleaned the area. He has used a professional grade caulking (NPC Solar Seal #900) at work for windows and doors on the schools. He contacted the company and their response was "if it were my trailer, I would use this product"! They also stated that it was ok to use on fiberglass Gel-Coat and suggested a 3/8 inch application for best performance. This caulk is not available at box home centers. You can contact npc@npcsealants.com for help with this product.

We obtained the caulk and did the job on Thursday. I just took the attaced pictures and watched the rain roll down the side of the slideout, hit the caulk, roll over it and continue down the bottom trim cap. I went in the trailer and there was no water anywhere. I see a lot of posts on slide leaks and would suggest you put an intense inspection to all caulking before anything else. We're repaired, no hassle, no hauling to the dealer for warranty work, no damage, no big deal! It took about an hour to fix.

Good job and good advice. Thanks. This weekend will sure be the test for water leaks!

Follow Up:

We had intense storms, extended downpouring rain, wind and power outages last night. Went out to the camper this morning to check the collection tray we had placed under the leak area. There was was a tiny bit of water but nothing like we had before. With this we knew we were attacking the right area. Now for some further investigation. We took the square end caps off the slide out and found what we believe is the next phase of repair. The pics explain what we found! We left the caps off to allow the area to dry out and will recaulk these gaps in a day or so. We are confident this additional caulking will end this story.

Good Morning,
Sorry to hear that you had this problem but you sound confident its all fixed now. Reading many threads about leaks, tire and suspension problems really has us concerned we purchased the right product. I am an intelligent man and know all manufactures have issues and we are only seeing Heartland issues because thats where we are. This will only cause us to spend extra time on the PDI.

That same type of leak has been around the forum for some time. I think most of bedroom slides have the same type of construction in the Heartland line. It's very prone to leak at that seam. I think "soilmover" was one of the folks that had a major problem in this area.

murry135 said:

Good Morning,
Sorry to hear that you had this problem but you sound confident its all fixed now. Reading many threads about leaks, tire and suspension problems really has us concerned we purchased the right product. I am an intelligent man and know all manufactures have issues and we are only seeing Heartland issues because thats where we are. This will only cause us to spend extra time on the PDI.

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You guys rest easy! These things happen with EVERY manufacturer. Not that consumers find them acceptable, but they are there none-the-less. We expect that things will happen and the real reason that I post and include pics is not because of anger towards the manufacturer. Actually, I feel quite the contrary! If what I show here helps one other individual to solve a problem similar to mine then I have accomplished my goal. I do know this, if you have a problem, you will be taken care of and made happy. You are dealing with a great dealership in Crossroads and buying into the best customer service and support that anyone can ask for. Let us know when you take delivery!

Good info, Deb. Something else to put on the annual check list. It's no different than having a summer cottage on the waterfront. No tires to replace, but there's always something that needs attention (had relatives with cottages) each spring. That and the exorbitant property taxes that go with the view and sound of waves on the shore.

Other than the catastropic failures that have occurred for some, I've learned that you have to occasionally get out of this position

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And into this one to stay ahead of problems.

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That's why I scour the forum for this kind of stuff.

I really thank you for posting with the pictures. If I had seen your post without the pictures I would have envisioned you caulking a different area cause you stated that the rain ran down the side of the slide. Your pics make it obvious where you meant. Mine is new but I be looking at this area very soon before I get a leak!! Thanks

They have done everything under the sun and resealed our slide out, and it is still leaking a bit in the same spot, like you describe. We looked at the caulking above the lower trim cap, and there are spots where it is almost nonexistent, so as soon as we get a few dry days we are going to re-caulk it ourselves. We are leaving on a big trip down the Oregon coast in a few days.

The leak/drip is small enough now that we decided to take our trip and we spoke to the Dealer yesterday and plan on taking it back in the end of May. Maybe by then we will have fixed it ourselves.
We took the square caps off, like you showed up there dbylinski and ours look better than that underneath, but they still require some attention.

Thanks for your great thread here.

Marge, I hope you can find your solution, begin to rest easy and enjoy your North Trail. If you caulk I'll give you one more helpful hint. Use 3M Blue Painters Tape above and below the caulk line. When you apply and smooth out the caulk you won't have to worry about neatness. After the caulk is smooth remove the tape. This makes for a really neat job with straight lines. No residual mess!

Another thing I did on our bedroom side of the slide. Right before the top of the molding goes into the rubber seal, put a dab of caulk, kinda like a small dam. If the water runs along the caulk line and then hits this "dam" prior to the rubber seal it will force the water out instead of into your bedroom.
al

dbylinski said:

Marge, I hope you can find your solution, begin to rest easy and enjoy your North Trail. If you caulk I'll give you one more helpful hint. Use 3M Blue Painters Tape above and below the caulk line. When you apply and smooth out the caulk you won't have to worry about neatness. After the caulk is smooth remove the tape. This makes for a really neat job with straight lines. No residual mess!

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Thanks for that tip Deb! And congratulations on your new positon!

dbylinski said:

Marge, I hope you can find your solution, begin to rest easy and enjoy your North Trail. If you caulk I'll give you one more helpful hint. Use 3M Blue Painters Tape above and below the caulk line. When you apply and smooth out the caulk you won't have to worry about neatness. After the caulk is smooth remove the tape. This makes for a really neat job with straight lines. No residual mess!

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EUREKA!!! the caulk did the trick. Wish I would have read the blue painter's tape tip first. LOL

We had a dry day and a bit of blue sky yesterday and everything was dry, we re- caulked just like you did Debbie. There were some pretty good little gaps along the top of the end caps too. It has been raining off and on since late last night and raining really hard today, for hours. And it is still bone dry in that spot. We can't hardly believe it.

We are heading out Saturday morning for 2 weeks..so go us!

Marge, that's great news. And after all you've been through with your dealer. Have a safe and fun trip.

Marge said:

EUREKA!!! the caulk did the trick. Wish I would have read the blue painter's tape tip first. LOL

We had a dry day and a bit of blue sky yesterday and everything was dry, we re- caulked just like you did Debbie. There were some pretty good little gaps along the top of the end caps too. It has been raining off and on since late last night and raining really hard today, for hours. And it is still bone dry in that spot. We can't hardly believe it.

We are heading out Saturday morning for 2 weeks..so go us!

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Great to hear you may have solved the problem and glad we were able to help you. Now ENJOY!!!! Have a nice trip!

dbylinski said:

Great to hear you may have solved the problem and glad we were able to help you. Now ENJOY!!!! Have a nice trip!

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Thank you, we sure will. We have had motorhomes for the last 21 years, so this is going to be a whole new experience for us and we are very excited to hit the road.

Ray LeTourneau said:

Marge, that's great news. And after all you've been through with your dealer. Have a safe and fun trip.

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It is! Thanks Ray. The Dealer did a great deal of work, this was just the last little bit that did the trick.
What an ordeal!